A method for imaging includes capturing images of an object using a matrix of detector elements and performing a processing operation in the detector elements under control of a global clock. Results of the processing operation are read out under control of a rolling clock, which is unsynchronized with the global clock.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method for imaging, comprising: capturing images of an object using a matrix comprising multiple rows of detector elements; performing a processing operation in the detector elements under control of a global clock with a first predetermined clock period; and reading out results of the processing operation row by row under control of a rolling clock with a second predetermined clock period, which is different from and unsynchronized with the global clock.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein capturing the images comprises generating electrical charge in each of the detector elements, and wherein performing the processing operation comprises applying a logical operation to the charge in each of the detector elements in order to generate a digital value, which is read out under the control of the rolling clock.
3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein capturing the images comprises illuminating the object with radiation that varies over time under the control of the global clock, and generating the charge responsively to the radiation that is received from the object at the detector elements.
4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein illuminating the object comprises applying the radiation in a time-coded pattern, and wherein the digital value generated by the logical operation comprises a digital shift value, and wherein reading out the results comprises reading out and processing digital shift values read out from the matrix of detector elements in order to generate a depth map of the object.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein capturing the images comprises generating electrical charge in each of the detector elements, and wherein performing the processing operation comprises switching the charge among different charge storage components associated with the detector elements in synchronization with the global clock.
6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein performing the processing operation comprises making a comparison of the charge stored in each of the charge storage components to a threshold level and generating digital values in response to the comparison, and wherein reading out the results comprises reading out the digital values.
7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein generating the digital values comprises generating bit values responsively to the comparison, and concatenating the bit values to generate the digital values.
8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein reading out the results comprises outputting the data from the detector elements row by row using a rolling shutter controlled by the local clock.
9. Apparatus for imaging, comprising: a matrix comprising multiple rows of detector elements, which is configured to capture images of an object; embedded processing circuitry, which is configured to perform a processing operation in the detector elements under control of a global clock with a first predetermined clock period; and a readout circuit, which is configured to read out results of the processing operation under control of a rolling clock with a second predetermined clock period, which is different from and unsynchronized with the global clock.
10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the detector elements are configured to generate electrical charge responsively to the images, and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to apply a logical operation to the charge in each of the detector elements under the control of the global clock in order to generate a digital value, which is read out under the control of the rolling clock.
11. The apparatus according to claim 10 , and comprising an illumination subassembly, which is configured to illuminate the object with radiation that varies over time under the control of the global clock, wherein the detector elements generate the charge responsively to the radiation illuminating the object.
12. The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the illumination subassembly is configured to apply the radiation in a time-coded pattern, and wherein the digital value generated by the embedded processing circuitry comprises a digital shift value, which is read out by the readout circuit and which is converted by a processor into a depth coordinate in order to generate a depth map of the object.
13. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the detector elements are configured to generate electrical charge in each of the detector elements, and wherein the embedded processing circuitry comprises, in each of the detector elements, multiple charge storage components and a switch, which is configured to switch the charge from the detector elements among the charge storage components associated with the detector elements in synchronization with the global clock.
14. The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the processing circuitry comprises comparator logic, which is configured to make a comparison of the charge stored in each of the charge storage components to a threshold level, and to generate digital values in response to the comparison, and wherein the readout circuit is configured to read out the digital values.
15. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the comparator logic is configured to generate bit values responsively to the comparison, and to concatenate the bit values to generate the digital values.
16. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the readout circuit is configured to output the data from the detector elements row by row using a rolling shutter controlled by the local clock.
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June 3, 2013
December 15, 2015
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